US President Donald Trump has asserted that Iran’s military has suffered such extensive damage from American strikes that the country would need nearly ten years to recover. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while heading to Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, he said there was “no reason to” formally declare victory despite Iran being “decimated”. “No reason to… I think I’d just say they’re decimated, but I haven’t. I think that we have done damage to them right now. If we left right now, it would take them 10 years and more to rebuild. But I’m still not declaring it over.”
He claimed US operations had “essentially defeated Iran”, adding, “Militarily, we have essentially, as far as I am concerned, we have essentially defeated Iran. I guess they can have a little bit of a fight back, but not much. Not much. We have taken out their air forces, as you know. We have taken out their air defence. They have no air defence whatsoever.”
‘Iranian leadership and key assets targeted’
Trump stated that multiple senior Iranian leaders were taken out during the campaign. ‘We have taken out their leadership times two, four, three… might be three, we’ll find out soon,” he said. He also referenced US strikes on Iran’s major oil hub, Kharg Island, saying the facility was almost entirely destroyed. “We attacked Kharg Island, and it was left with just one little area standing. And the standing part is where they have the pipes, where the oil pipes come in. And we can do that on five minutes’ notice. We have it all locked and loaded and ready to go if we want to do it. But we chose not to do it, I chose not to do it yet. Let’s see what happens,” he added.
Trump further claimed that Iran is eager to negotiate with the United States. “They want to negotiate. They want to negotiate badly. I don’t think they’re ready. Just on what I’m hearing, they want to negotiate badly, as they should. But I don’t think they’re ready to do what they have to do. But I think they will be ready at some point,” he said. He again praised US forces, saying, “Our military is incredible. The job they’ve done is just incredible.”
Iran rejects Trump’s claims
Meanwhile, Iran’s response was prompt as its Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi rejected Trump’s statements, insisting Tehran had never asked for talks or a truce. In comments reported by CBS News, he said Iran would continue military action until the United States ended what he called an “illegal war.” “No, we never asked for a cease-fire, and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” Araghchi added. He also defended Iran’s attacks on American military assets stationed across the Gulf. The back-and-forth comes as tensions remain high, with both sides trading claims about battlefield losses and strategic gains.
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